The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu, is optimistic about the prospects of the Special Prosecutor’s Office in dealing with corruption within the public office.
Speaking at a forum on the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, he said the current Bill was drafted based on President Akufo-Addo’s idea of rooting out corruption in government.
[contextly_sidebar id=”y2tz59DroCg3NOFTte1bdOKxmtzq2JSc”]He urged the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee of Parliament to be minded by their main objective to among other things set up the Special Prosecutor’s Office and insulate it from political interference.
“My charge to you all is that, as you discuss the lawful opinion and suggestions and discuss this Bill, we should not take our eyes off the ball, but we should remain loyal to the vision.”
He added that, the committee must ensure that there was no omission or room for ambiguity in the clauses of the Bill to avoid further delays.
Meanwhile, the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, believes the addition of a clause that will make the Special Prosecutor subject to the approval of Parliament would make the office strong enough to deal with endemic corruption.
The creation of the Special Prosecutor office is to enable the government deal with issues of corruption, especially among state officials.
It was one of the major promises made by President Akufo-Addo as part of his plans to deal with corruption in government.
A former Attorney General, Martin Amidu has criticized aspects of the Bill which he says limits the powers of the special prosecutor.
According to him, a clause that will prevent the Special Prosecutor from chasing acts of corruption of certain magnitudes renders the entire bill useless.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana